


listening to darkness.

by eoghainy



Series: Tales from Tamriel [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, based in oblivion, dark brotherhood stuff, lenny face - Freeform, you know where this is gonna end up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:37:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eoghainy/pseuds/eoghainy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>on a cold winter night, by chance, a young lucien lachance stumbles upon a dying high elf. feeling nothing but pity for the boy, he brings him back to the cheydinhal sanctuary, unaware that he was bringing home the future listener.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. whispers in the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> listen 
> 
> i'm redoing this awful trash.
> 
> i'm gonna make something of this.
> 
> hopefully.

A soft layer of snow blanketed the Imperial City. Not one living soul was out in the freezing cold, not even the poor beggars whom often frequented the streets of the Elven Gardens. The only figure that was out and about was an assassin hailing from the Dark Brotherhood, carefully hidden underneath an enchanted cloak and cleaning blood off of a dirtied blade. He had successfully broken into a woman’s home and slit her throat whilst she slept, and just couldn't  _wait_ to boast about it when he got back to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. As a young man with a reputation to build, any death would be one that brought him fame.

Slipping the weapon back into its sheath at his hip, the man hesitated. He could feel a pair of eyes burning into his back, but he  _knew_ that no one could see him. He cast a glance towards the sleeping guards at the door leading to Talos Plaza, knowing that this was the perfect chance to make his escape — but the feeling of being watched bothered him to no end. Who, or what, would give him such an uncomfortable feeling?

The sigh that tumbled from his lips was a soft one, shoulders rounding in defeat. His curiosity was going to get the best of him; he couldn’t just  _ignore_ such a feeling. “Please let this be good,” the cloaked figure murmured as he made his way towards the shadows, gaze struggling to adjust due to how dark it was.

For a moment, it was too dark to be able to see anything. Then his eyes adjusted to the gloom, and he was able to make out the feeble form of a child. The boy was slumped against the wall, small chest rising and falling rapidly. His golden granite irises were half - closed and glazed over with fever, and the sharp stench of sickness stuck to him. Resisting the urge to recoil and empty the contents of his stomach onto the ground, Lucien stared down at him, shocked. There was a thin covering of the white substance on his clothes and bare skin, and his small body appeared to be trembling.

He . . . he couldn’t leave this poor child here like this.

Compassion filled his heart as he slipped out of his cloak, easily picking up the tiny boy.  _He can’t be any older than five,_  Lucien thought with a strange pang of grief, feeling absolutely horrible. This child, who appeared to be nothing more than an innocent little Altmer, felt as if he was just an infant.  _This sickness must be worse than I had thought. Worse than anyone had thought._ Gently, he wrapped him up in his cloak, making a soothing noise as the child protested.

“Don’t worry,” he said quietly, not daring to speak above a whisper, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll take you to the Sanctuary.” Figuring that the poor child didn;t have a name, he pulled the door to Talos Plaza open, nothing but tenderness shining in his toffee gaze. “From now on, you’ll be known as . . . Jesse. Welcome to the Dark Brotherhood, young one.”


	2. sweet confessing lips.

**_Eleven years later . . ._**

* * *

“Jesse!” Rose cried, batting at the assassins features as he nipped at her neck, unable to help the giggles that tumbled from her lips. She couldn’t help but let out another loud laugh as he then bit the shell of her ear, his grasp upon her hips tightening. No one else was in the living quarters, thankfully, seeing as how they would most likely be disturbing whomever was attempting to sleep. Several times already they had gotten chewed out for being loud and disturbing, but they paid it no mind. Young love and all that.

“Yes, Rose?” His voice was barely louder than a seductive whisper, warm breath stirring her soft hair. “Is there something you want to say to me?” Gently, his lips skimmed over the shell of her ear, making Rose shiver.

Ducking away from him, she trotted across the room, successfully putting distance between herself and Jesse. Her arms folded over her chest, a triumphant grin pulling up her lips. “I have a contract, I can’t just sit around and do _you_ all day long.” Rose ran a hand through her tousled strands, her lips twitching upwards as her words sunk in. As much as she tried, she couldn’t hide the smile that made her just look so damn beautiful. “As much as I’d like to, it can’t be done.” It _was_ unfortunate. He was great company after all, especially in bed, where it _really_ mattered.

But, there was work to be done. People to be killed. Money to be collected.

Standing up and stretching his long body, the Altmer frowned. “Did Vicente give you the contract?” All jokes aside, he was curious as to how his girlfriend was doing within their tight – knit family.

“No, he let me go. I get my contracts and orders from Ocheeva now.” Pride laced her lilted voice.

Jesse looked impressed. “You’ve climbed the ranks.” He advanced towards her and pulled her back into his grasp, resting his chin upon the crown of her head. He was at _least_ seven inches taller than his tiny Imperial. “I’m proud of you, Rose,” he began, ready to go off into this sentimental, ridiculous, embarrassing spiel when someone else cut him off.

“Hey Jesse,” Antoinetta called, “there’s a package here for you. I _think_ it’s from Lucien, but I’m not sure.” Her thin lips pulled down into a frown momentarily, but it quickly turned back into a smile as she saw the two of them. “Aww! You two are so cute! Dear Sister Rose, and dear Brother Jesse, it’s nice to see that the Dark Brotherhood can bring people together!”

Rose flushed, and Jesse just laughed her off. He unwound himself from the still – blushing Rose, crossing the room towards Antoinetta and taking the package from her. “Thanks, I’ll take a look now.” He flopped down on the nearest bed, easily tearing through the packaging and staring down at a note attached to a blade.

_Jesse,_

_You were never old enough to understand what cause this blade serves. Not to mention you didn’t become mature enough to wield it until recently. I had been meaning to give it to you on your five – and – tenth birthday, but you can see that I had forgotten. I apologize for that, but there is no need to dwell on this portion of the conversation._

_I finally remembered that I wanted to give it to you a few days ago. It’s called the Blade of Woe; and I hope that you use it properly. I had used it once in my youth, but I did not find it to my tastes. I have gotten it fixed up for you; it’s like a virgin blade all over again. Treat it as such._

_You’re an adult now, mostly, and you no longer need my guidance. But, you need only ask if something is on your mind. I will never be too far out of reach. All you have to do is come find me, and you know where I am._

_In other words, this is a ‘growing up’ gift, per – say. You will continue receiving orders from Ocheeva until I decide that you're ready to become my Silencer. Maybe in a few years or so you’ll move up the rank — I need to know that you'll be able to listen to my orders without defying me at every turn. Perhapes even when you grow a bit more mature._

_But be warned, Jesse. Just because you’re my adoptive son does not mean that I will be softer towards you than any other. Take care with your contracts and don’t step on any toes — most of all, do not get in trouble. I won't be around to bail you out of jail. Stay safe, and may Sithis guide you._

A snort got pulled from Jesse as he set the letter down, opening the box that it had come with. Inside rested a dagger, the metal giving off a sharp ruby hue. Curiously, the young male picked it up, testing the weight in his right hand, and then his left. _It has a nice feel to it_ , he thought to himself, pulling Sufferthorn to compare both weapons.

“That’s a nice blade,” Antoinetta commented as she peered over Jesse’s shoulder, hands clasped together at the small of her back. “Lucien give that to you?” It was no secret what Lucien had done for him years ago. It was no secret that Lucien saved _most_ of their family from harm’s way, or brought them into the fold because they were abandoned.

“Yes.” Without hesitating, he turned and dug the Blade of Woe’s sharpened point into his palm, feeling disappointment strike him. Sufferthorn was enchanted; it’s blade was only to be used to kill. It seemed that the Blade of Woe did nothing but cut like a normal dagger.

“Jesse!” Rose hissed as he dropped both blades, gazing down at his rapidly bleeding palm. She pulled his hand towards her, a soft golden light appearing beside her gloved hand. Jesse flinched as the glowing substance touched his wound, effectively knitting the skin back to its closed state. “You’re an idiot,” she scolded, “don’t you know anything? You try the blade out on a dummy, not _yourself_.” She sniffed, looking vaguely upset. “Have a little common sense.”

Pulling his hand away from hers, Jesse scoffed. “I’ll be fine, Rose.” He gathered up the letter and the weapons, sliding them onto the sheaths in his belt. Next, he crossed the room to his bed, slipping the letter underneath his pillow and disposing of the packaging. Sensing an impending argument, Antoinetta had fled the living quarters.

“What if that blade had been enchanted? What if it had some form of _poison_ on it?” She seemed to be hardly restraining her anger. “What if you had truly hurt yourself?”

“You’re here, you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.” He sent a cheeky grin her way, which quickly disappeared once he saw her glaring.

“And if I wasn’t here?”

“Then I would die.”

“What do you think that’d do to Lucien?” She snapped. “What do you think that’d do to  _me_?” Rose’s hands curled into fists. “You take too many risks, Jess. When you killed that Khajiit, I thought I’d lost you. He got you good; a deep wound that worried me to no end. You almost _died_.” She couldn’t hold back the tears that pushed at her water lines. “I fear for you always.”

Swallowing back his own annoyance, Jesse crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her again, pressing chaste kiss after chaste kiss to the crown of her head. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, “the dread father can’t have my soul just yet.”

At first, Rose had stiffened when he touched her, slowly easing into the hug and becoming relaxed. “I’m so afraid for you,” she whispered, “you seem so determined to kill yourself in any way possible. You can’t die, not while you’re still with me. Not when I care too much about you.” Her voice grew thick with emotion, but she didn’t continue on.

“Is there something you want to tell me . . . ?” His voice was hardly more than a hoarse whisper, only slightly afraid of what she would reply with.

“I . . . I love you, Jess.” She confessed, more words tumbling from her lips. “I love your stupid face and I love the way you treat me. I think it’d kill me if you were to go away, or if you were to get yourself killed. That's why you can’t, Jesse. You can’t do it. You just _can’t_.”

Surprised by her sudden confession, Jesse hesitated. "I . . . love you too, Rose." He murmured, tightening his grip on her when he realized that it was _true_. He did love her, more than he ever thought he would. At first, she had been nothing more than a fling. But it seemed that it was becoming something more for him. “I—”

Ocheeva’s voice cut across whatever Jesse was about to say. “Rose, if you’re going to get that contract done by nightfall, then you better go now.” She ordered, turning to Jesse next. “You, I have a contract for you. One that you might enjoy. Get your bearings together and meet me in my room. We’ll discuss it more then.”

It wasn’t unlike Ocheeva to be so blunt towards Jesse; ever since he had refused a contract and broken one of the tenets a few years ago, she had begun to question his loyalty and distance herself from him. Now that he was an adult, she was trying her best to change her feelings about him. It was true, she really was trying. He had proven himself many times to her, yet Jesse could sense that she was still wary of him.

He didn’t blame her.

Breaking away from Rose and clearing his throat, he dipped his head respectfully. “Of course. I’ll help Rose gather her things and send her on her way.”

Ocheeva gave a sniff to show that she had heard. With a final flick of her tail, she padded out of the room, leaving the duo alone again.

“Here,” Jesse handed Rose a couple potions of invisibility, her dagger, and a few lockpicks. “Go now, we’ll talk later.” He lightly pushed her shoulders, sending her into the direction of the corridor. “Stay safe, don’t mess up your contract.”

Rose hesitated. Her cerulean eyes were watery, but once she swallowed, her gaze became clearer. She wanted to talk, clearly, but there wasn’t much that he could do about it. “See you later, Jess.” Swiftly, she turned on her heel and around the corner and up the stairs, exiting the living quarters.

A groan was pulled from Jesse as he dropped his head in his hands, threading his fingers through his shoulder – length hair. The Altmer felt unusually heavy; Rose’s words were weighing down on his shoulders. To find out that she actually loved him and that he loved her _back_ was a new thing for him. He had never loved someone in this sort of sense before.

He couldn’t think about this now; he needed to get to work.

Moving at a jog, he headed straight into Ocheeva’s room, narrowly avoiding running straight into the Dark Guardian, who snapped his teeth at him quite harshly. He shuffled along, weapon trailing along on the stones, purposely creating a high – pitched noise that sent chills down Jesse’s spine.

Raising his hand up, he knocked on the door before opening it, meeting Ocheeva’s dark gaze. “You wanted to discuss my next contract?”

“Ah, yes.” She settled down on her bed, flicking her tail to gesture that Jesse make himself comfortable on a chair. He sat down with his legs crossed, leaning forward with anticipation.

“As I said before, you might enjoy this one. You will go to Skingrad, where you will be locked inside Summitmist Manor with five other people. Before you go inside, speak to Fafnir. Everyone believes that there is a chest filled with treasure somewhere inside; whomever finds it gets to keep it. But here’s the trick: there is no treasure. You’ll be killing them all. For your bonus, if you kill every single one of them without alerting them that you’re the killer, then I’ll give you something special when you return. Go now and enjoy yourself.” Ocheeva flicked her tail in dismissal, turning back to the book that had been lying on the covers of her bed.

Dipping his head respectfully towards her, Jesse backed out of the room, a bounce appearing in his step. He was excited to be sent on a contract such as this one! There was no possible way he could manage to screw it up. Besides, who wouldn’t want to kill people gathered at a party? It was an assassins greatest  _dream_.

Antoinetta trotted up to him, her bright eyes filled with amusement as she took in his excitement. “Good luck on your contract.” She sang, practically skipping towards the training room.

“Thanks! I’m sure I’ll have a  _sinister_  time.” And with that, Jesse was off to Skingrad.


End file.
